Trial begins for woman accused in stabbing
WEST PALM BEACH — As Melanie Eam sat quietly in court Tuesday, prosecutors detailed the final moments of her boyfriend’s life.
In the opening statements of Eam’s second-degree murder trial, Assistant State Attorney Lauren Godden described Eam, now 22, as a woman who became enraged and stabbed James Barry to death in his Loxahatchee home after Barry broke up with her.
“On the night of Nov. 17, 2016, Melanie Eam was a woman scorned,” Godden told the jury.
Investigators allege that Eam drove from her home in The Acreage to confront Barry, 21, after he sent her a message saying he wanted to end their relationship. Eam allegedly picked up a knife and stabbed Barry several times.
“You’ll see by the actions of Ms. Eam that that was unacceptable to her,” Godden told the jury. “She went into his home, a home where she stayed four to five nights. ... Then she stabbed him, stabbed him multiple times, fatally wounding him.
Defense attorney Bruce Lehr painted a different picture, telling the jury that Eam had no involvement in the stabbing and describing her as a woman frightened by the sight of discovering Barry stabbed at the hands of someone else.
After Barry’s death, Eam drove to a relative’s home in Silver Spring, Maryland. Kelley in November allowed a recorded confession that Eam gave to Palm Beach County Sheriff’s investigators while in Maryland to be used during her trial.
“Melanie Eam did not stab anybody,” Lehr said, urging jurors to evaluate the evidence and “use your common sense” to determine who really was responsible for Barry’s killing.
Lehr told the jury Eam and Barry were involved in a two-year relationship that “was on-again, off-again many, many times. It was no shocker that it was going to be off again.”
At the conclusion of opening statements, the jury heard testimony from Deputy William Mosely, Sheriff ’s Sgt. Aaron Silver and Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Lt. Jonathan Stamm, each describing what they saw the night Barry was found dead.
Mosely said he began performing chest compressions after finding Barry unresponsive on a bed. Silver said he secured the scene as Mosely attempted to save Barry’s life.
Stamm told investigators Barry showed no signs of life upon the arrival of paramedics.
The trial will resume today and is expected to continue through the end of the week.